What Lies in the Deep Blue Sea
by YuriChan220
Summary: Everyone deserves love. For Umi, she has no luck finding one. Until one fateful day, when a beautiful girl named Erena Toudou saves Umi from being molested on the train, that's when her life starts to change.
1. I Get Saved by a Beautiful Girl

**What Lies In the Deep Blue Sea**

 **Pairing: Erena x Umi**

 **Genre: Drama/Romance**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live or any of its characters.**

 **Author's Note: Hello, everyone~! My name is Yuri and here's my second Erena x Umi fanfic, now a full-on story~! I'm glad everyone liked my previous story "Rain of Love" so I hope you all like this one.**

 **Please enjoy~!**

I stare at two familiar people in the hall, two people that I know very well. They are talking and laughing while wrapping arms around each other. Those two are my childhood friends, Honoka Kousaka and Kotori Minami, a well known second-year couple. Well . . . I was the first to witness them being together anyhow. Why? I was just done with club activities when I heard Honoka confessing to Kotori. I hid behind a corner, so that they don't see me as I continue to watch my two childhood friends confessing their love for each other and then . . . they kissed. I couldn't believe that my two best friends actually loved each other. When they told me about it later that day, I just simply congratulated them and just hid my own true feelings.

I was in love with Kotori. Actually, I was in love with her even before we started high school. Though, I had kept my feelings to myself until that very day. The day that I was about to confess to Kotori. But . . . I was too late. Honoka already beat me to it. She confessed her feelings first and Kotori happily accepted them.

That was two weeks ago. A little while after the confession, after they told me, they told everyone else in the club room. They were a bit surprised at first, but congratulated them after and wished them the best of luck. I, on the other hand, was still feeling down about my chance to confess to Kotori. Even today, I'm still depressed.

Right now, it's after school and Honoka invited me and Kotori to her house. However, I told her I had some studying to do, so I couldn't go with them. But in reality, I'm just trying to get over the fact that I need to let this one go and move on, even though it's really hard to do so.

"Are you feeling alright, Umi-chan?" Honoka asks me. "You've been acting a little strange since . . . a couple weeks ago."

"Is it because of us?" Kotori asks.

I couldn't tell them. It will just worry them even more. "No. I'm just under a lot of stress about studying right now." That wasn't a big lie, but at least I am able to fool them just a little.

With that, all of us went our separate ways, with Honoka and Kotori exiting the school. I just stay behind as I watch the lovely couple. Good luck in the near future, you two. I'll keep supporting you. Even if I . . .

"Huh? What are you doing in the middle of the hallway, Umi-chan?" a familiar, Kansai accented voice says.

I turn to look at the girl with long purple hair tied into two low pony-tails. "Oh, hey, Nozomi. I was just saying good-bye to Honoka and Kotori. Honoka actually invited both me and Kotori over to her house, but I told them I had some studying to do."

"I see." Nozomi takes a few steps toward me and leans over while smiling. "Something tells me that you're feeling down."

"N-no, I'm not-"

"I can see it, Umi-chan," Nozomi says. "Even if you tell me 'no', I can still tell."

I sigh in defeat. I guess there's no hiding secrets, even when Nozomi's around. "I'm just . . . stressed, okay? About how I blew my chance on confessing to Kotori."

"Ah, because you love her?" the violet haired girl asks.

I could only nod.

"I see." She straightens up and puts her finger on her chin. "Hmm . . . well, I can only tell you this: though it's tough to find love, love will find you someday."

"Huh!?" What is she saying? What does she mean by that? "U-Um, can you be more specific please?"

Nozomi just smiles as I notice a blonde girl known as Eli walks by and notices us talking.

"Oh, hello, Umi," the blonde says. "I didn't know you were still out here."

"I was just leaving anyway," I reply as I'm about to walk away. "I'll see you later."

Nozomi links her arms with Eli with a smile. "Okay. We'll see you later, Umi-chan." She winks at me as I turn to look back at her. There is no way that anyone can find me and love me. How is it possible?

Before I leave the school, I catch the two of them kissing. Another couple. How nice. I then turn and walk away, not wanting to see it anymore. But as I begin to exit the school, I hear more voices from behind me.

"Come on, Kayo-chin~!" I hear Rin say. "We don't want to be late for the reservation at the restaurant I promised you, nya~!"

"S-somebody help me!" Hanayo screams as I see her being dragged by Rin and run right past me, but not before saying "Hello" to me. And there's another couple. How wonderful.

"Maki-chan, hurry up!" I hear Nico's voice say.

"And why are you inviting me to your house again?" Maki asks while twirling her hair.

"Duh! It's to, um, y-you know, spend quality time together!" Nico replies while blushing. I softly giggle at the petite girl's expression. "And you know we're dating, too, right?"

I let out a soft sigh as well. And yet another couple approaches.

"S-sure, we are," Maki says while blushing herself. "Let's just go before anyone sees us."

"Too late," Nico says as she faces me.

I wave my hand back and forth as I smile nervously. "N-no, it's okay. I'm just leaving anyways."

I immediately walk away before either Nico or Maki could say anything. I can't take it anymore. It's impossible to move on when there's couples all around me and to make matters worse, they are my friends from school. I really need a break from all this.

 ****Later that Night****

Once I finish my homework, I put my pen down, stretch my arms and plop down on the bed, facing up at the ceiling, wondering how Honoka and Kotori are doing right about now. My mind is filled with those two. During our early years, our middle school years and even now. We went through tough times, but also had some good times together. All of us were best friends, ever since that day, when I was hiding behind the tree to observe some kids playing around. And then, Honoka showed up and let me join her and Kotori. I couldn't have been more happy than I ever was. I used to be a shy girl that rarely talks to anybody, but when Honoka and Kotori came into my life, I felt happy. Probably the happiest girl I was.

But after I realized my feelings for Kotori, my heart sank when I realized that Honoka confessed her love to Kotori and she accepted them. I don't even know if I can truly move on from this. I'm still depressed over being too late to confess to Kotori. Then, Nozomi's words echo in my head.

 _"Though it's hard to find love, love will find you someday."_

I sit up and look over at the picture of the three of us when we were little. All happy and smiley. It was after when we first met and Honoka's mother offered to take a picture of the three of us. I take the picture frame and smile at the memory. Yes, it was truly unforgettable moment. I then look over at another picture at our first day of high school during our second year. It was Honoka's idea to take a selfie of the three of us, which I find it cute. However, my eyes are focused on Kotori as I slide my hand on the picture.

Kotori. I had loved you for a long time. But . . . I guess you're better off with Honoka, huh? That's always nice. Always . . .

I don't realize it, but I can feel drips of tears streaming down my face. I slowly reach a hand up and touch my cheek, feeling that it's wet. No . . . no. Why am I crying? It's been over 2 weeks since my childhood friends became a couple. I should've moved on by now. So why . . .

"Kotori . . ."

It's no use. I'm too choked up. Thinking too much about the love of my life, now in the hands of my other childhood friend, is making me too emotional. This is not fair. Everyone in Muse is dating except for me. I want someone to love, too! But . . . why can't I have one? Do I not deserve it? Is I just bad luck? I just . . . don't know what to do anymore.

As more tears keep falling, more and more images of Kotori fill my head, I bury my face in my hands as I begin to sob quietly, feeling regret and grief take over.

 ****The next day****

I begin walking to the train station early the next morning. I really didn't want to come to school today, just to face the couples that surround me while I'm feeling left out. Life just isn't fair sometimes. I walk towards the station just as the train arrives. I'm the second person to climb aboard and immediately walk towards a window while grabbing on one of the handles above me. I let out a small sigh as I think about Honoka and Kotori and all the other couples around me. Nozomi's words echo in my head again.

 _"Though It's hard to find love, love will find you someday."_

Nozomi . . . what do you mean by that? There's practically no one else here to love. Sure, I got confessions from some of my classmates, but they were just fans, not lovers. Besides, if love were to find me, it would've been Arisa, Eli's younger sister. But I came to find out that she's dating Honoka's younger sister, Yukiho. So, if that doesn't work, then who? Who would be my love interest?

Just then, my thoughts get interrupted when I feel someone get close to me, in fact _way_ too close. I can feel myself tremble in fear as I take a glance back to notice a middle aged man standing behind me. He is wearing a regular suit with rounded glasses and is a bit overweight. I don't know who he is nor that I care since I got my own problems to deal with. However, he isn't going to leave me alone as he comes a bit closer to whisper into my ear.

"Hey, babe," he says. "What's a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself?"

Oh, no! This is bad. The way he's saying it is like he's going to do something horrible to me soon. I'm considering running away, but I'm too cramped in this crowd, so there's literally nowhere to go. I feel his hands slide through my bare legs, which makes me quiver a little. _N-no, please!_ I think to myself. _Not here! Why would he do something horrible in a place like this!?_

"Come on, now," the man purrs as I can feel his other hand go straight down, almost going under my skirt. "Let's take the time to get to know each other."

 _N-no! No, no, NO!_ I think to myself as I shut my eyes tightly. _Please don't! Not in a place like this! Please!_ I embrace for what is about to come next, but I don't feel his hand under my skirt. Huh? Did he give up?

Just then, I hear some bones cracking from the man as I slowly turn to see what's happening. A beautiful girl with long purple hair with a different uniform had grabbed that man's wrist and is squeezing it really tightly. She is glaring at the man while pulling him closer to her.

"You're getting off the next station, got that?" she growls as she squeezes his wrist even more.

"Ow, OWWW!" he screams. "Y-you're breaking my wrist!"

"Too bad!" the violet haired girl snaps. "Now you go away before I break both of your hands and legs!"

She shoves him into the crowd, which makes him fall over and run to blend in with the crowd. Oh, my goodness! I can't believe what I saw just now. This girl, who I don't even know, just came and rescued me from that pervert. She turns towards me, her glare softening into a concerned look as the train stops. She glances up at the screen above us.

"Is this your station?" she asks.

Ah, her voice is also beautiful! It's like music to my ears!

"Miss?" she asks again.

I snap back into reality and nod my head as I glance up at the screen. "Y-yes!"

The violet haired girl chuckles. "Alright. Then, I'm getting off that station, too."  
"You are?" What school does she go to anyway?

Both of us exit the train and stop half-way to face each other again. This beautiful girl. She's a bit taller than me, but has some really nice features. Her light blue eyes stare into my golden ones for just about a minute before she speaks up again.

"Are you alright?" she asks. "Did that man do anything else to you?"

I shake my head. "N-no."

"That's good." She smiles at me. Oh, my goodness! She's even more beautiful when she smiles! "Well, I'll see you later." With that, she turns to walk in the other direction with her hair swaying as she turns.

I remain standing there while a light breeze blows, making mine and the violet haired girl's hair sway gracefully. I can feel my face getting warm just from staring at that girl. And my heart's pumping, too! Why, though? She only rescued me, right? Or maybe those feelings are something else. Is it love? Is this really what Nozomi was telling me all along?

* * *

 **A/N: Hehe~! Well, I hope you liked this chapter. I was going to portray it from an anime series called "My Love Story", but someone else had already gone and wrote it, though it's titled "Umi's Love Story". But I really wanted to take one of my most favorite scenes from that anime, which is Takeo saving Yamato-chan from being molested.**

 **Now for this chapter, it's like "My Love Story", but probably from Yamato-chan's point of view. I'm not going to copy the whole series, as I've seen a couple of episodes of it.**

 **Also, Umi-chan. Goodness, I love her! Well, I like her for two reasons:**

 **1\. She reminds me of Umi Ryuuzaki from Magic Knight Rayearth.**

 **2\. She's voiced by Himawari's voice actress from "Yuru Yuri".**

 **I really can't believe they would create a coincidental character like the Love Live Umi.**

 **Anyway, enough about me ranting. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~! ;)**


	2. I Meet Her Again

**Chapter 2**

 **I Meet Her Again**

I arrive at the school just in time and sit down at the desk. I couldn't stop thinking about the girl I saw at the station today. She's just so . . . beautiful! I wish . . . I wish I could see her once more . . .

"Umi-chan?" Honoka's voice startles me out of my thoughts.

"Wah! H-Honoka!" I almost jump out of my seat. "What are you doing here!?"

"You were spacing out," My ginger haired childhood friend replies with a smile. "Is something the matter?"

"N-no! It's nothing!" I say while waving my arms back and forth. "Nothing at all!" Liar! Why would you say that!?

Then, I hear Kotori giggle. "You're not being honest, Umi-chan~!"

I look back and forth at my childhood friends while they have curious expressions on their faces. I let out a heavy sigh. Why do you two always have to do this? "Someone saved me on the train this morning," I explain to them.

Honoka and Kotori gasp. "What!?"

"Who was it?" Honoka asks, leaning a bit too close to me, invading my personal space. "Who was it that saved you!?"

"S-some girl with long purple hair," I answer. "She had a different school uniform, though. I was about to get molested when she saved me. I didn't know why, but I felt really grateful that she did that for me." Then, it hit me. "Oh, no! I forgot to thank her!" There is no way I'll be able to thank her while school is going on, but maybe after school I might find her. However . . . what school does she go to?

Just then, the bell rings, which means class is starting and everyone takes their seats. I guess I'll have to think about it later. But I can't keep my mind off of that violet haired girl throughout class. I cannot forget her beautiful features. Oh, my goodness. Is my heart pounding again? I'm never going to be able to focus on the lesson at this rate . . .

* * *

By the time it's lunch time, I take a step outside, smell the fresh air and walk towards the spot where Honoka, Kotori and I usually sit when eating lunch together. However, both of them had picked a different spot just for the two of them. Haaah . . . I guess that's what they do when they are a couple.

As I sit beside the tree, I look around to see a few other students out here, eating their lunch and chatting away. I let out another sigh as I look up at the sky with a light breeze blowing past me. I wish I could see you again, whoever you are. And I wanted to thank you for saving me. After about a few minutes, I proceed to eat my lunch in peace, still thinking about the violet haired girl all throughout the lunch period.

* * *

"Umi-chan! Umi-chan!" Honoka says a little while after school ends, quickly trotting to my desk with a happy smile on her face. "Kotori and I are planning for our next date. What do you want us to do? Where do you want us to go?"

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well, because we don't know what to choose to go for our date," Honoka answers while turning towards her girlfriend. "So, we want your advice."

I sigh for the third time as I rub my chin in thought. "Hmm . . . have you tried out that new ramen place in town? The one that's just opened a couple weeks ago?"

"Oh, my goodness!" Kotori says while clasping her hands together. "No, we haven't! Thanks for the suggestion, Umi-chan!"

I smile at the two of them. "No problem." Even though they are dating, Honoka and Kotori are still my best friends. They know I can always support them whenever I could.

With that settled, I watch both of them walk out of the classroom hand in hand and wave to me good-bye while I wave them back. When they are out of sight, I sigh for the fourth time today. Gosh, I'm sighing a lot, haven't I? Maybe I'm still trying to get over this stress of all the couples around me. First Honoka and Kotori, then Eli and Nozomi, Hanayo and Rin and even Maki and Nico became a couple. I know. I should just get a lover if I desperately need one, but I can't decide. Haaah . . .

I've got to stop sighing today. This is just too much.

I find myself losing focus even when I'm in my archery club. Usually, I hit a bulls-eye, but instead, I'm often hitting the mark at the end, which made some of my club mates dumbfounded.

"Are you feeling okay?" one of the girls ask. "You don't seem as focused as you should be."

Now she tells me. "Y-yes. I'm fine. I'm just a little spaced out, that's all."

The other girl walks by and exchanges confused looks to the one girl. Oh, boy. They know I'm lying. I shake my head roughly to get it together and return to my practice shooting. I remained silent for the rest of the club meet until it is time to go. Packing my stuff, I exit the school to walk back to the train station. It was a slow walk, mostly because things have been on my mind still, including that girl with purple hair. Now that it's after school, maybe I can meet her at the station. Feeling motivated, I sprint to the station and look around for her. But due to this huge crowd waiting, I can hardly see her. Gosh, there's so many people! Finally when the train arrives, I decide to wait until it clears up to see if I see her there. However, when there's just about a few people left, I find no luck finding the girl. Sighing for what it would be the 5th time today, I proceed to enter the train and luckily find an empty seat so that no pervert would sneak up behind me. For the whole train ride, I sat there, not saying anything at all. All I wanted to see that girl again so I could thank her and introduce myself. Well, there's always tomorrow, right? I mean, it's not that big of a deal when I have other problems to deal with.

A half-hour later, the train stops at my station and I, along with a few other people exit the train. I look back one more time and that girl still isn't there. I guess she has another station to get to.

"If only I could see you again," I say aloud as I let out a fifth sigh.

Just then, I hear a familiar beautiful voice coming from behind me, the same voice I heard from this morning.

"Looking for me?"

I gasp as I slowly turn towards the person who is speaking to me. There stood the same girl with the purple hair in the same uniform she wore from this morning. My gaping mouth slowly curves into a smile as I run up to her. I'm so happy that I could cry. It's really her! The girl that saved me this morning!

"Nice to see you again, miss," she says, smiling back at me.

"I-it's nice seeing you again, too," I say softly. "I, um, wanted to thank you for saving me this morning. How silly of me to forget."

"It's alright," the violet haired girl says. "Say, do you have time to stay and talk?"

"Um . . . sure. Why?"

"Well, since we're here, I thought we might get to know each other a little bit," she says. "What's your name?"

"I'm . . . Umi Sonoda," I answer.

"My name is Erena Toudou," the violet haired girl says, gesturing towards herself.

Erena Toudou. I have to remember that. "It's nice to meet you, Toudou-san."

The violet haired girl chuckles. "You can call me Erena. And it's nice to meet you . . . Umi~"

My eyes widen when she called my name like that. Oh, my gosh! Is my heart beating again!? Just from her calling my first name!? Wow! This is the greatest day of my life!

Both of us walk over to a nearby bench and sit there for about a few minutes until I speak up.

"S-so, what school do you go to?" I ask.

"I go to UTX Academy," Erena replies. "Where do you go to?"

"Otonokizaka Academy," I answer.

"Oh, I've heard of that school."

"You have?" I ask.

"Yes. Many people at my school talk about it a lot. They say it is a very nice school."

"Oh." I never knew that our school could be so popular. "What's your school like?"

"Nothing special, really," Erena replies. "Though, our school is a really tall building, unlike yours. It's full of people, including students that go there."

My eyes widen in shock. Erena goes to a school like that!? Where does she attend classes? Where's the lunch area? Oh, gosh! There's so many questions I want to ask that I can't choose which one!

Erena chuckles again. "You're surprised that my school is like that?"

"Uh-huh . . ." I slowly nod, still thinking that it's so cool to have a school like that.

"Well, it's not all that great," Erena says. "I've made a couple of friends while being here and I am popular with most of the girls here at this school. But the classes are quite boring, to be honest. Teacher's just keep talking and talking."

I nod in agreement. "I know what you mean."

"Mm-hmm. Why can't they just make it a little simple so that all of us can understand?"

Both of us laugh for a bit as I gaze up at the sky, which is turning a bit of orange. The sun's beginning to set, which means I have to get home soon.

"U-um, I have to get home," I remind Erena.  
"Ah, okay," she says as both of us start to stand up.

But once I take a step forward, I suddenly trip on an uneven surface, causing me to almost fall on my face.

"Umi!" I hear Erena cry in alarm as I feel a pair of arms catch me. I turn around to notice her concerned face. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," I say while I can feel my face heat up really fast and my heart beating a million miles an hour. She saved me . . . once again?

"What's that on the ground?" Erena asks.

"Eh?" I turn over to notice a photo next to my bag I dropped, plus some other things like school materials and such. "Oh, no!" I realize right away that it's a picture of Honoka and Kotori together on their first date. Honoka decided to copy the picture to give to me and Kotori to keep. I didn't know I kept it in this bag the whole time. I was planning on framing it, but I totally forgot about it.

I dive down to collect the materials and shove them into my school bag, but is unable to reach the picture in time since Erena picked it up first.

"Who are those two girls?" she asks. "They look really cute~."

I blush at the compliment about them. "Th-those are my childhood friends. Honoka Kousaka and Kotori Minami. We've been best friends since childhood."

Erena gives one last look at them with a smile before handing it back to me. "Well, they look like they get along really well."

"Yes," I nod slowly as I gaze at the picture. "In fact . . . they like each other."

"Huh?" Erena raises an eyebrow.

I gasp at what I just said. "Ah! I-I'm sorry! It just slipped out of my mouth!" What would she think when I tell her that my two best friends are lesbians?

Erena lets out another chuckle. "Don't worry~. I'm not mad. So, is it true that Honoka-san and Kotori-san love each other?"

I nod. "Yes. But before that . . . I fell in love with one of them. And that is Kotori."

"Oh, my!" Both of us sit on the bench again as I feel her arm wrap around me. "Tell me, Umi. How and when did you fall for this girl?"

I clear my throat and tell her everything. The whole time I was talking, she kept listening to every word I have to say, with a few nods. However, as I begin to finish, I can feel some tears starting to come out, which I didn't want to do in front of a new friend.

"Ah, so that's it," Erena says. "I'm so sorry this happened."

"Mm-hmm." Oh, no! It's happening again! I'm getting choked up for even mentioning this to her! "It's been . . . two whole weeks since Honoka and Kotori started dating. And now all of my other friends have dates as well. I was too late to confess to Kotori. I should've acted when I had the chance. But I . . . was too hesitant and shy to even face her! And it's all my fault!" I try wiping my tears to prevent Erena from seeing me crying, but all she does is scoot closer and wrap her arms around me.

"Wh-what are you . . .!"

"Umi," she says, gently. "At times like this . . . it's better just to let it out. It's not good to keep all the pain inside you."

"B-but . . .!"

"It's okay," she whispers as she hugs me tighter. "No one's watching, so now's your chance."

I . . . couldn't believe it. When we just met the second time today, she's willing to comfort me when I'm about to cry. When I just told her what happened, she clearly understood how I felt. Clutching her shirt, I bury my face in her chest as I sob my heart out, finally letting out everything I've been holding back since two weeks ago. Erena remains silent as she gently pulls me closer in her arms as I continue to cry. I've never felt . . . this sad in my entire life. I've never cried that much before either. But Erena, who was willing to listen my heartfelt story, was there the whole time just to comfort me. And I'm very grateful for that.

After crying for a good 15 minutes, I pull away, letting out a few sniffles as I wipe some of the remaining tears away and try to smile at Erena.

"Thank you," I say. "I really needed that. And I'm sorry if I got your shirt all wet."

"No need to worry," Erena giggles. "I can always dry it later."

"And . . . thanks for listening. I really needed someone to talk to anyway."

"Hey, no problem," Erena says. "If you ever want to talk to me, please, don't hesitate."

I nod as I stand up while stretching out my arms and looking up at the sky. It is completely orange now and the sun's is setting already. I gaze up at the beautiful sky for a minute before I turn and get my school bag with Erena standing up as well.

"Well, I'll see you later, Erena," I say as I begin to walk off.

"Umi," she calls.

I turn towards her. "Yes?"

"Why don't I walk with you to your home?"

"Hah!?" I jump back in shock, both blushing and feel my heart beating a million miles an hour. Did she say what I think she said!? "D-do you even know where I live!?"

"Not exactly," Erena answers. "But I would like to know where your home is. Maybe I can come over some time. Is that okay with you?"

"Y-yes!" Oh, my gosh! Erena is even offering to come over! This is definitely the greatest day of my life~!

With that settled, I lead her to my home, which took about 20 minutes or so. When we stop by my house, Erena notices a dojo next to it and asks about it.

"Oh, yes," I say. "I study archery and kendo. My father is an expert at both of those things, so he decided to teach me the basics. Pretty soon, I joined the archery club at Otonokizaka Academy."

"That's pretty cool," Erena says. "You'll have to teach me some of those soon."

"Alright!" I turn to leave, but not before waving to her. "See you later, Erena. And thanks again."

"No problem," Erena says as she waves back.

I soon enter my home, greet my mother and father and head up to my room. And then, I realize something.

"Oh, my gosh!" I freak out. "I forgot to ask her number! Man, I'm so stupid!?" I drop my bag as I put my hands on my head and shake my head on controllably when I notice a piece of paper beside my bag. Huh? When did that fall out? Why is it here? I don't remember putting a folded piece of paper being there. I bend down to pick it up and unfold it. It reads:

 _"Hey, Umi. Thanks so much for your time to getting to know you a little bit. Why don't we call each other sometime for a playdate?"_

 _— Your friend, Erena Toudou_

And then, at the bottom of her signature is her phone number. I begin to blush deeply as I clutch the paper to my chest. I think . . . this is the very beginning of our friendship.

* * *

 **A/N: (clasps her hands together) My~! 5 reviews! That's just awesome! Thank you so much and also thanks for favoriting/following my story~! That got me motivated to start the next chapter!**

 **Anyway, I wanted to make 2 chapters, but I decided to make a long one since my last chapter was long. Just to make it more enjoyable to read. And also, forgive me, but I'm going to write it as if Muse has never met A-Rise, as you may have noticed. Seems to be more interesting that way.**

 **Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~! ;)** **Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~! ;)**


	3. My Heart Races Even More

**Chapter 3**

 **My Heart Races Even More**

I arrive at the school the next morning, feeling very happy today. After meeting with Erena again, I began to feel more safe around her. She's just so . . . pretty and looks like a popular girl. I look over at the paper she had given me with her number. I added her to my contacts last night, but I just can't help but keep staring at it. She has such beautiful handwriting. I slide my fingers upwards toward her signature when I can feel my heart beating in my chest again. I bring my hand up to my chest to feel it beating rapidly. Oh, my goodness! It's happening again! Am I actually falling for her!?

"Whatcha got there, Umi-chan~?" a cheerful voice says from above me.

I nearly jump out of my seat at the sight of Honoka standing right in front of me with her big blue eyes. "H-Honoka! Don't scare me like that!"

"Ohhh~! Is that a note I see?" Honoka doesn't give me a chance to respond as she snatches it out of my hands.

"Hey! Give it back!" I cry as I struggle to reach for it. "It's not yours!"

"I'm just curious!" Honoka tries to reason.

"It's none of your business, so give it back right now!"

"Kotori-chan, take a look!" She quickly hands the note to my other childhood friend as Kotori takes a look at it and her eyes widen.

"Erena-san gave you her number!?" she exclaims. "That's so awesome!"

"Shhh!" I quickly put both of my hands onto their mouths to quiet them down. "Someone might hear you!"

"Why?" Honoka's voice is muffled from my hand, in which I quickly pull away.

"It's embarrassing, so you musn't tell anyone, I mean, _anyone_ about this!" I demand while pointing a finger towards Honoka. She really likes to spoil others.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Kotori asks. "I mean, it's just her number."

"Listen, Erena and I just became friends," I explain to them. "So, she just snuck a little note in my bag, just when I was about to realize I forgot to ask her number."

"Wow! She's a clever girl for doing that!" Honoka says.

"So please, please don't tell anyone, not even the rest of the club members, okay?" I plead while putting my hands together while bowing my head.

Honoka giggles as she pats my head. "Oh, Umi-chan. You're as shy as always."

"I mean it!" I shout at them.

"Hehe! Okay, okay!" The ginger puts her hands up in defense.

I sigh in relief as I sit back down on the chair after Honoka hands me back the note. What will everyone else thing when they find out that I became friends with a student from another school?

* * *

By the time lunch starts, Honoka and Kotori are off eating lunch together once again. I sit by the tree while taking out my smart phone. Since Erena had been kind enough to give me her number, I might as well text her my number. Though, I don't know when her lunch period is. I let out a sigh as I realize that. I really should start asking her questions before doing anything else. I text her number anyway and decide to wait for her reply until after school.

But a few minutes before I start eating my lunch, my phone goes off. As I turn it on I blush deeply as I realize I received a message from none other than Erena.

 **"Thank you so much, Umi."**

Seeing that text makes my heart race once again. So, she does have lunch on the same period. But why? Ah, no time to think about that right now. She finally got my number! I'm so happy! By the time I regained my composure, I eat my lunch until the period is over. I look over at Erena's number again and turn off my phone. I'll have to talk to her after school.

 ****After School****

I'm about to leave the classroom when I turn on my phone again and I immediately receive a text from Erena. I blush deeply as I read what it says.

 **"May I come over to your house today? I want to meet your family."**

I gasp as I look around to see if anyone else, other than Honoka and Kotori, is able to see it until I immediately reply with an "OK". One word. Way to go, Umi. Not just "Sure, you can come over." or anything like that! As I quickly exit the classroom, I stop immediately when I see Eli and Nozomi walking by. I literally slide on the floor, only to almost crash into Eli, but we thankfully don't topple over.

"Whoa there!" Eli says while giggling. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

I'm about to answer when Nozomi beats me to it.

"What's that?" she asks as she leans down to pick up something off the floor.

I look down to realize what she had picked up. "N-Nozomi!"

The violet haired girl giggles as she shows me the note. "Now who's Erena Toudou-san, hm? Is she your new friend~?"

"Y-yes," I answer.

"Hehe~! How did you two become good friends?" Nozomi says, stepping casually towards my side and smiling.

I feel like I couldn't hide from them anymore and explained everything that happened. As I spoke about Erena, thoughts of her flash through my mind, including when she had saved me from being molested. I didn't even realize I was blushing until Nozomi points it out.

"Why is your face red?" she asks.

"Ah! N-nothing!" I protest as I wave my hands back and forth. "Th-there's nothing to be worried about, right!? My face isn't red at all!" What am I saying!?

Nozomi giggles. "Don't worry, Umi-chan. I understand."

I blink. "Y-you do?"

Nozomi just winks at me and rejoins her girlfriend to link arms with her. "Let's go, Eli-chi."

"Alright," the quarter-Russian blonde says while turning to me. "We'll see you later, Umi."

"Ah, okay." I wave to both of them as they leave. _They are a happy couple, aren't they?_ I think to myself. _And so is everyone else_. So far, I've been the only one who hasn't had a lover. Not one. I mean . . . I will find one, right? No worries. Still . . . Erena's pretty interesting. E-eh!? When did Erena pop in my mind!? I sigh as I shake my head and exit the school. I decided to meet her again at the station to have a talk with her. I'm just . . . more relaxed when I'm around her. I make my way to the train station and look for her when I find her talking with some other girl with medium length auburn hair. Who is that girl? She's kind of . . . cute. And huh? There's another one approaching them. This time, it's a girl with short brown hair. All three of them smile at each other as they greet one another. Are those two Erena's friends? As I slowly approach them, Erena takes notice and smiles at me.

"Hey, there, Umi!" she greets. "Perfect timing! I would like you to meet my two best friends, Anju Yuuki-san and Tsubasa Kira-san."

"Hello," Anju says. Wow, even her voice sounds cute!

"Nice to meet you," Tsubasa greets with a bow.

"U-um, nice to meet you two," I reply while returning the bow.

"So, she's the girl you were talking about?" Anju asks.

Erena nods. "Yes. She's the girl I had saved the other day."

Tsubasa comes closer to me and smiles. "Well, you sure are a cutie~!"

E-eh!? She called me . . . cute!?

"Hehe! Isn't she?" Anju says as she playfully pinches my cheek. "Erena-chan was telling us how cute you were the moment she looked at you after she saved you. We were dying to meet you, Umi-chan."

"R-Really?" I stutter while trying to regain my composure from meeting two girls for the first time. They are just . . . so nice.

"Mm-hmm!" Tsubasa says. "Erena tells us all about you for the past couple of days, so we asked her if we could meet you."

Anju comes closer to me, causing me to blush. "And right away, when I looked at you, I thought to myself, 'She's cuter than I expected'. So, we're glad we're finally meeting each other, Umi-chan."

"Th-thank you," I say with a small smile.

When the train arrives, all three of us get on and sit down at an available spot in the seating area. I sit next to Erena while Anju and Tsubasa sit next to each other beside us. From there, all of us were chatting up a storm, getting to know one another. As we were talking, I take a look at Erena. She's so . . . beautiful, even from the side view. I didn't even realize she had made friends of her own at UTX Academy. And to be honest, her friends are very kind. They are really enjoyable to be around and are fun to talk to as well. In fact, this is the first time I've seen other people from UTX Academy that are willing to talk with me. We talked for about 15 minutes before the train stops. Tsubasa and Anju stand up.

"This is our stop," Anju says. "We'll see you later."

"It was really fun talking with you!" Tsubasa says. "Shall we meet again tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Erena says as she turns to me for approval. "What do you say, Umi?"

"U-um, sure!" I reply quickly. "I would love to!"

Anju smiles happily. "I'm glad. See you later, Umi-chan!"

"Bye!" Tsubasa says while waving.

Erena and I both wave good-bye as the door close and the train starts to move again. Erena sits a bit closer to me, almost making our shoulders touch. I start to blush again as I look down at the floor a bit to avoid eye contact with her. She's so close my heart is racing rapidly. It's happening again, isn't it? This feeling when I'm around her. Still, I feel a bit more relaxed when I'm around her. Just then, I feel an arm wrap around me and gently pull me closer with our shoulders fully touching. Oh, my gosh! My heart is literally going to burst at any moment! I quickly look up at Erena, who is smiling and winking at me. I blush even harder as I feel my heart beating faster as well. She just . . . winked at me! For what exactly? Unfortunately, I couldn't say anything, but I feel really comfortable leaning against her. I think I could just fall asleep right now . . .

"Umi," I hear her call my name. "Umi, this is our stop. Do you want to go? Or just sleep here for the rest of the night~?"

I sit up as I notice everyone leaving and I quickly jump to my feet. "R-right! Let's get going!"

Erena and I exit the train and stop short as I fiddle with my fingers. What should I say? My face is too warm and my heart is still beating rapidly because of Erena pulling me close to her. However, Erena beats me to it.

"It's nice spending time with you again," she says. "I enjoyed being with you, Umi."

"S-same here," I reply. "Th-thank you."

I turn towards her as she turns to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you later," I say as I wave good-bye to her.

I stand there for a few more minutes to watch her leave, with her hair swaying at every step. I put my fist to my chest to feel my heart still beating. And then, I smile. Oh, Erena. I wish I could spend more time with you. With that, I begin to walk towards my home, which is about 5 blocks away. However, as I'm walking, I can hear another set of footsteps behind me. Actually, it sounds super close. Is someone . . . following me? I quickly turn my head to look, but . . . no one's there. Maybe it's my imagination? I continue to walk until I hear the footsteps again. Someone's definitely following me! I turn my head again. Still nothing! That's it! I'll go a different route so that the person doesn't follow me all the way home.

I turn to a random corner, which I'm unfamiliar with, but I don't care. I just want the person to lose track of where he/she is and I can finally go home. However, as I go further down the street, I hear the footsteps again. I slightly look back and see a glimpse of a familiar man who quickly hides behind a lamp pole. Crud! That's the guy that almost molested me the other day! How did he manage to follow me here!? This is not good! Not good at all! I turn another corner, hoping to get back to the street where I'm at, but . . . it's another street that I'm unfamiliar with. I stop and look back. No one's there, but I know that man is trying to stalk me! I back away a few steps while taking my phone out to dial Honoka's number. I wait and wait for her to answer, but unfortunately, it goes into voicemail. I dial Kotori's number, but no answer. I can't call my parents since they are out working until late. I hide behind a corner while dialing Erena's number. She's my only hope right now.

"Hello?" she answers.

"U-um, Erena?" I say. "I'm . . . in big trouble right now. Remember that man who almost molested me?"

"Yes?" Erena's voice sounds shocked and concerned.

"Well . . . he's stalking me and I'll be doomed if he followed me into my home. My parents aren't coming home until late." I frantically look around again. "He's . . . he's going to try to get me, Erena! Please help me!" I shut my eyes tightly, with tears nearly coming out. I have never been so scared in my life, nor have a man who almost molested me return.

"I'll be right there!" Erena says. "Hang on! Where are you?"

Fortunately, I'm near some street signs, so I tell her what street I'm at and Erena tells me that she'll be there in a flash. I start to hang up when I feel a sudden hand grab me from behind and push me against a wall, which causes me to scream in pain.

"Well, what do we have here?" the man says. "Ah, I remember you~."

"Please get off me!" I cry out. "I need to be somewhere!"

"Not gonna happen!" The man snaps. "I think it's time to finish what we started!" He grabs hold of both of my hands and ties them with some tape so that they won't move and turns me around. "Your protector isn't here to save you this time, you little brat!" I can see a sharp knife in his hand, which makes me gasp.

"Don't worry," he says. "I'll make the cut fast. Just to see your beautiful body, my dear."

My eyes widen as he raises the knife and lowers it to touch the top of my blazer. He's going to rape me! That's even worse than it was on the train!

"Ah! N-no!" I cry while tears fall. "No, don't! Please!"

The man chuckles as he pauses. "There's no one here to help you now, young lady!

"Why are you here!?" I shout. "Why did you follow me here!?"

"I told you didn't I?" he sneers into my face. "To finish what we started. I noticed that your pretty friend was beside you, so I waited until the right moment. Of course, you made a grave mistake of going to an abandoned area, so now's my chance to make my move on you."

I couldn't believe what I'm hearing. I'm put myself in serious danger by walking into an abandoned street! How is Erena going to find me here? I shut my eyes tightly as I prepare what is about to come for me. However, just like before, nothing happened. I quickly open my eyes to see Erena grabbing the man's arm where he is holding the knife.

"Didn't I tell you before what I would do if you did something like this again?" Erena growls as she forcefully pulls him away. I drop down to my knees as I watch them struggle.

"You witch!" the man growls as he tries to elbow her, but she quickly dodges it and grabs hold of his arm.

She kicks him to the ground and pins him while still grabbing hold of his arm. She starts pulling on it until I hear a loud crack. My eyes widen as the man screams in pain. She literally bent his arm out of place! I can't even believe how strong she is! Erena kicks him multiple times until she found the tape he used to tie my arms and quickly ties his. She then picks him up and pins him to a lamp post and wraps the tape around him so he could not escape.

"Grr!" he growls. "You better get me out of this! I've got lots to do with this girl!"

"No you're not!" Erena shouts at him. "You got a lot to deal with the police! How dare you do something to a poor girl like her!?"

"Whatever!" the man shouts. "She's just a weak, piece of trash!"

SMACK!

My eyes widen again as I see her slap the man hard, leaving a large red mark on his cheek.

"Don't even THINK about insulting her either!" she shouts at him as she runs towards me to rip off the tape and look at me with concern for a bit before helping me up and facing the man. "This girl here! She's beautiful, sweet and kind! You don't know anything about her, you creep!"

I look up at Erena as small tears start to form. She's . . . she's defending me, too! I can feel my heart beating rapidly from her strong words.

"Also," she continues. "She's clearly not yours. Because . . . I love her!"

My eyes widen at this. Wh-what!? What did she say!?"

Erena turns to me with a serious look and caresses my cheek. "Umi, it's the truth. I love you. I really do." And just like that, she leans in and presses her lips against mine.

My body feels like it's going numb. Erena . . . she just . . . kissed me. After she confessed to me . . . Oh, my gosh! I feel like I'm going to faint! Thankfully, she pulls away and faces the man again. She pulls out her phone, dials the police and tells them the address. I was too shocked to even remember what happened next.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry for the super late update! First I had major writer's block. Then, it took me about 3 days to write this chapter. So, I'm truly sorry and I promise I will update as soon as I can. Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~! ;)**


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